Artist sketch block



ARTIST SKETCH BLOCK Filed MaICh 15, .1946 2 Sheets-Sheetl l v ORNEY Nov. 15, 1949 s. DvlTcH 2,488,007

ARTIST SKETCH BLOCK i' l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- Filed March 13, 1946 INVENTOR Sa/721095 oz/z 'C/I/ ATTO Patented Nov. 15, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTISTSKETCH BLOCK samueinovirch, New York, N. Y; Application March is, 1946, serieu No. 654,168

1 Claim.

This invention relates-toartist sketch blocks, the principal object being to provide a devicev having a rigidbase forv holding aV stack of sketch sheets'iirmly on the base against movement and in a manner to present the topmost sheet for intended use. An allied object is to arrange sucha device so that the topmost sheet may be readily removed and so that the device may be readily reloaded with a fresh stackv of sheets. A further obiect of the invention is to provide a device which will function as indicated and yet will have substantially the same over-al1 dimensions as the sheets and which, inclusive of its said base, will be of minimum thickness. An allied object isto arrangesuch a device so that it will be akin to the conventional artist sketch block both in size and general appearance, and which may be used in the'same manner.

A further object of this invention is an im-` proved artist sketch block which, unlike the conventional block, may be reloaded with a fresh stackl of sheets to reconstitute a new sketch block assembly, and from which the topmost sheet may be readily removed without marring the sheets and destroying theassembly, as is the case with the conventional sketch block. A still further object is to provide a device of the charac ter described which will receive either a single sheet or a stack of sheets of any number upto the largest stack to beaccommodated, and which will hold either a single sheet or a stack of sheetsv firmly against movement.

For the attainment ofthe foregoing and4 such other objects asmay appear or be pointed out. herein, I have shown one embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved artist sketchl block;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectionalelevationtaken.

on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 are transverseA sectional elevations taken on the lines 3-3 and. IIL-4, respectively, of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detail view, on enlarged `scale,.,show ing the construction at the narrow sides of the block; and` Fig. 6` is an exploded View, in perspectivashow-v ing the component parts of the device.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be observed that the improved artist sketch block, which is preferably of oblong shape, resembles the conventional sketch block both in size and general appearance, and presents the topmost sketch sheet I (of a stack of sheets Z-,Figs 2 4) forintended use. The

sheets are placed on the vtop smtace of .a rigid to the base.

base made of wood,y fibre, plaster or'other Ina-- terial, and are preferably of the same' lengt-lm. Fig. 2, and width, Fig. 3, as the base. Encompassing the four sides of the base i's a frame I0 of uniform cross-section throughout all of its four sides; this cross-section is generally of` the-shapeof an inverted-L presenting downwardly turned flanges II and inwardly-directed flanges I2. Frame iiJ is disposed in telescopic' relation to baisel 2o, with its downwardly-turned flanges I I' guidedv in sliding engagement with the sides of the hase, the frame fitting on the base snugly so that theA frame may be moved toward and away from the hase without binding. The stack of sheets 2 is thus interposed between the topsurfaoe of thelhase and the inwardly-directed flanges 12 of the' frame, flanges I2 overlying a small marginalborder around the sheets.

TheV inside dimension of the downwardlyturned flange I I- ofthe frame andr the dimension or height of the sides of the base are such that when the largest stack of sheets toY be accom-- mfr-dated is placed in the device, there will be su cient area of engagement betweenv the fra/me iianges and base sides to ensure that thefrarne and base are maintained in telescopic relation; and the mentioned dimensions are such that, with no sheets interposed, the lower edge of the downwardly-turned ilanges II will not reach tothe underside of the base, or rather, tothe underside of cover plate 40, subsequently described, whichv forms the bottom of the improved. block.

The frame, it will thus be seen, ,oatsf on the stack of sheets, in that the distance of its in l, wardlY-directed anges i2 from1 the upper surface of the base depends upon the thicknessof the interposed.- stack. Means are provided for applying a downward force on they frame, tov maintain its flanges I2 in pressing engagement with the stack of sheets, of sufficient magnitude toholdy the sheets compacted and firmly so that they cannot be moved, the topmost sheetbeing held against movement relative to the stack and the stack being. held against movement relative In the preferred embodiment, thisV means comprises a pair of tensile elements, shown as long. helical springs. 3l, 3I, connected at their opposite ends to plates 32, 32 mounted: in the underside ofv base 20 fora limited extentof sliding movement. Slide plates 32, .32 are of rectangular shape and are oriented with their long dimensions parallel to the narrow sides of the hase; as best seen in, Fig. 2, the innermostA edges of the plates are spaced anequal distance:

from the centeroi .theta-se; .theplates entende,

ing, on both sides of center, toward the ends of the base, and the outermost edges of the plates, are spaced a short distance from the respective ends of the base.

The underside of base 20 is provided with recessed guideways 22, 22, see Fig. 6, one on each side of the center, extending toward the opposite narrow sides of the base and terminating at the respective narrow sides. Guideways 22, 22, are recessed to a depth equal to the thickness of the slide plates 32, 32, so that the plates are flush with the underside of the base. A flat thin plate 48 of the same size as the base is secured to the underside of the base, with the slide plates 32, 32 received in recessed guideways 22, 22 of the base, to

constitute the ush bottom of the assembled,

Vways 22. As best seen in Fig. 6, the central portion 23 of the base is also provided with grooves 2|, 2| which extend across the entire length of the central portion and are recessed to the same depth as the grooves 25, The pair of grooves 2|, 2| of the central portion are aligned with the grooves 25, so that there is presented two continuous grooves 25, 2|, 25, extending parallel and longitudinally of the long dimension of the base. The tensile springs 3| are attached to the slide plates 32, 32 at their runners 35, so that the runners and intermediate springs present two continuous lines 35, 3| 35 likewise extending parallel and longitudinally and receivable in the respective continuous grooves 25, 2 I, 25 of the base.

In placing the pairV of slide plates 32, 32 connected together by tensile springs 3|, 3| in position in the underside of base 2U, with the plates fitting in their respective guideways 22, 22 and separated by central portion 23 of the base, the springs are required to be stretched, being somewhat shorter in their untensioned condition than the length of central portion 23. Hence when the parts are assembled, the springs will be under tension and will maintain the slide plates 32, 32 in as close relation to each other as permitted by the central base portion 23 separating the two, the innermost edges of the slides abutting the edges 24 of the central portion.

Means are provided for connecting the pair of slide plates 32, 32 with the frame I 0, for the purpose of transmitting the tensile force of the springs 3|, 3| to frame I8, the transmitted force being applied thereto so as to impose a downward force on the frame Awhich will press the frame towards base 20: the connection also serves to hold the frame on the base, and must be detachable inorder that the frame may be lifted from the base when the topmost sheet is to be removed or the device relocated with a fresh stack of sheets. In the preferred embodiment illustrated in the` drawings, the detachable connection is shown as comprising a web 36 of exible material such as natural or artificial leather, textile or the like of the same length as the long dimension of the slide plates, see Fig. 6, secured to the outermost edges of the slide plates 32, 32, This securement may be made by adhesive, tacking, or the like. For obtaining better securement and better force transmission, the attached end of flexible web 36 is bifurcated to provide two aps 33, 34, see Fig-5, secured to the upper and lower margins,

respectively, of slide plate 32. Conveniently and as shown in Fig. 5, flexible web 36 itself is made of two pieces of material secured together to form a unitary strip except at the attached end where the ends of the two pieces of material appear as the attaching flaps 33, 34.

At its unattached end, exible web 36 may be stiffened by a strip 31 of cardboard, breboard or the like vextending across the width of the web. The flexible web 36 including its stiffening strip 31 is made sufliciently long so that its stiifened portion will be brought adjacent to the downwardly-turned flange Il of frame I3, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. It would be understood that stiffening strip 31 is covered by the flexible material and hidden from view; if flexible web 36 is made of two pieces of material secured together, as described above and shown in Fig. 5, stiffening strip 31 may be completely covered in the manner shown.Y Flexible web 36 may be detachably attached to the downwardly-turned flange I I of the frame by a pair of snap fasteners, the female element 38 of the fasteners being secured to the web 36, more particularly, to its stiffening strip 31, and the male elements I8 being secured to the frame flange II.

The length of flexible web 36 from its attachment to the slide plate 32 to the fastener elements 38, 38 is such that the slide plate 32 must be pulled outwardly, against the inwardly-directed urgency of the springs 3|, 3|, in order that the snap elements 38, 38 may be secured to the associated elements I8, I8 of the frame; this pulling out of the slide plates 32, 32 is required even when there are no sheets in the device and the frame is closest to the top surface of the base. Hence the tensile force of the springs is transmitted to the frame at all times and will thus be effective to press the frame towards the base irrespective of the number of sheets interposed between the frame and base.

I claim:

An artist sketch block comprising a base upon which sheets are to be stacked and an open frame to engage above perimetrical portions of the stack of sheets on all four sides thereof to hold the sheets immovably in stacked registration on the base, said base being rectangular and defined by flat side and end walls and a flat top whose width and length is the same as the width and length of the sheets stacked thereon, said frame comprising opposed end and side sheet framing portions engaged with a relatively narrow width of the topmost sheet along all four edges thereof, said frame having wall portions depending downwardly from said end and side portions, the opposed depending end wall portions having their inner surfaces spaced apart for a distance equal to that of one of the dimensions of the base and of the sheets stacked thereon and the opposed depending side wall portions having their inner surfaces spaced apart for a distance equal to the other dimension of the base and of the stacked sheets, whereby the frame will be held to a rectilinear movement vertical adjustment towards and from the base by engagement of the inner surfaces of the depending wall portions of the frame with the opposed side and end walls of the base, to accommodate a stack comprised of sketch sheets whose number may vary within the range from a single sheet to the permissible maximum, the height of said depending wall portions being no greater than the thickness of the block whereby the lowermost portions thereof will be prevented from extending below the bottom of the base and releasable meansfor applying a downward pressure to the frame sufcient to rmly hold the sheets stacked on and in registry with the base with the topmost sheet framed and held immovable for sketching said releasable means comprising a. tension member connected with the opposite end of the frame. 1

SAMUEL DOVITCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

5 UNITED STATES Fl'LTENTSv Number Name Y Date 222,279 Johnson Dec. 2, 1879 292,789 Burdick Feb. 5, 1884 

